Ivian Benishev dismissed as Bulgarian Deputy Health Minister

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has dismissed Deputy Minister of Health Ivian Benishev from his post. The decision follows revelations by Health Minister Katya Ivkova regarding administrative failures that threatened the operational capacity of emergency services.

Minister Ivkova reported that delays in renewing mandatory civil liability and casco insurance for ambulances and vehicles belonging to Regional Health Inspectorates (RZI) could have left them unusable by mid-September. The insurance procedures, which should have commenced in the autumn of 2025, were reportedly stalled by bureaucratic correspondence between departments rather than action, leaving the new ministry leadership uninformed of the risk.

In addition to Benishev, who was responsible for emergency medical services, the Minister requested the resignations of Daniel Petrov, Director of the Emergency Medical Aid Directorate, and Iliya Tasev, Director of the Public Health Directorate. While the law allows Benishev to return to his previous directorial role, Minister Ivkova expressed hope that he would not do so.